Rear End Discomfort

Hello All,

Rex turned 4 in February. Around that same time, I took him to a new groomer. She claimed to express his anal glands externally. Shortly thereafter, Rex began spinning on his butt and rubbing up against furniture. I took him to our vet who stated it was very difficult, if not possible, to express a bulldog's anal glands externally. The vet's office therefore did a proper expression. They asked that I return if the spinning and irritation continued. It did, so the following week they checked his tail pocket and discovered infection. The vet prescribed Mal-a-Ket wipes and a steroid. Within 10 days, Rex's problem appeared to be solved.

Unfortunately, within a week of going off the steroid, the spinning and irritation resumed. However, there was no more sign of infection in the pocket tail. The vet still thought it best to refer Rex to a dermatologist, so a few weeks ago we saw the specialist. She checked Rex's tail pocket, again found no sign of infection, yet prescribed more Mal-a-Ket wipes and a topical steroid/anti-inflammatory. We used the wipes and applied the topical treatment with little to no change in Rex's discomfort. The dermatologist mentioned the potential need for surgery if the applications proved ineffective, but I'm not wholly convinced it's a tail pocket issue - at least not with regard to infection or skin inflammation.

I hate seeing my little buddy suffer, and come here in search of suggestions. Again, Rex never showed any signs of rear end discomfort until after seeing the groomer and having her attempt an external expression of the anal glands. Could this be a structural/anatomical issue? Is the infection/inflammation simply deep in the tail pocket? What other causes may explain his symptoms?

Re: Rear End Discomfort

Hi and welcome to EBN..... do you clean the pocket every day, sometimes at least twice a day? when you have a deep pocket, it as to be kept clean at all times so daily mal-a-ket wipes or witch hazel cleaning is necessary.

My boy had to have his tail removed at 8 months of age due to a very deep pocket and one bad infection. Others had it done with their babies after multiple infections and hoping it could be managed.
Our girl fell into that category, we were able to manage her pocket with multiple daily cleaning and ensuring we managed her allergies to prevent inflamation

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There is a part of your heart not alive until a bulldog has entered your life.Nitschke (2004-2011) and Banks (2005-2014) -- My angels Thank you for all the love, fun and teachings